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Portuguese Laurel (Prunus lusitanica)
About Portuguese Laurel
An incredibly robust, compact evergreen, providing year-round interest and privacy, tolerant of wind, shade and drought.
Description
Portuguese Laurel, with its dense, spreading foliage and resilient nature makes an elegant, formal hedge - ideal for more demanding situations.
Appearance
Glossy, elliptic, 8-10cm deep green, leaves, borne from striking, plum-red coloured stems, provide the perfect backdrop to the vibrant green new growth in spring. These are joined in early summer by racemes to 25cm in length bearing scented, cup-shaped, creamy-white flowers. Decorative, slightly pointed red fruits follow in autumn, ripening to dark purple.
Placement
Suitable for any well-drained soil, Portuguese Laurel thrives in drier, more challenging conditions than Cherry Laurel. It performs equally well in full sun or deep shade and is ideal for exposed sites.
Uses
Highly versatile, its compact foliage makes for a highly effective privacy screen, impenetrable boundary or windbreak. Ideal for more formal planting, it responds particularly well to clipping, making it an ideal candidate for topiary.
Well-drained Chalk, Clay, Sand, Loam
Full sun Partial shade Shade
Fast 40-60cm/yr approximately
August
Formal hedging Privacy screening Pollution barrier
Not suitable for livestock Deer resistant